掮 (qián): to carry on the shoulder

Meanings

他掮着一卷行李走了。

Tā qián zhe yī juǎn xíngli zǒu le.

He carried a roll of luggage on his shoulder and walked away.

掮客是靠替别人拉生意赚钱的人。

Qiánkè shì kào tì biéren lā shēngyi zhuànqián de rén.

A broker is someone who arranges deals for others to make money.

usage

Literally to shoulder a load. Best known in 掮客 (a broker or middleman), the image being someone who carries deals between two sides for a fee.

radical

扌 shǒu

hand

The hand radical, a left-side form of 手. It marks this as a physical action done with the body, here hoisting a load.

semantic

肩 jiān

shoulder

Means shoulder, 肩, and is the heart of the meaning: to bear something on the shoulder. It also hints at the sound, drifting from jiān to qián.

掮 qián